My son went to the prime rib carving station several times but the chef continued to serve him meat with chunks of fat on it - so he gave up. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Park access for all family members is included in . Seriously, this place is awesome! Kalahari and Chula Vista - now that the "Flyin Mayan" ride is back - are also. We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. I'm displeased to hear of the strange odor in your room and that we were not able to correct this situation while you were staying with us. For exact amenities lists, its best to view the Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari website of the locations you are comparing. Why do the adults with hearing damage always make the decisions with regards to volume level! Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. The splash park area of the water park devoted to smaller children (toddlers Penguin Play Bay) is very weak compared to Kalahari and somewhat awkwardly placed on a second tier of the waterpark close to some steps going down. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. 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There is a very small / non-standard sized bowling alley, a miniature golf course, an arcade, MagiQuest, etc We have done some of the other activities in the past but only if they were included with our stay or one of the bundled package passes (Paw Pass, Pup Pass and Wolf Pass). WEBSTER, Texas Texas is set to add another Great Wolf Lodge location to its ranks. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. The Great Wolf Lodge Resort is a family-friendly resort located a few miles from the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Grapevine and offers deluxe accommodations, upscale amenities, and an indoor water park with several swimming areas and wave pools, water slides and rides, waterfalls, hot springs, and entertainment for children. An unpleasant smell hit us as soon as we opened the door, although I couldn't quite place it, at least not until we stepped further into the suite. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! That said, I wouldnt pay triple the price for Kalahari. Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of indoor water parks. However, please be aware that Camelback / Aquatopia charges for general parking I think it is $12 if you are just coming to engage in one of the activities. Let me start by saying that we have visited the Great Wolf Lodge location in Fitchburg, MA on 2 separate occasions and had enjoyable visits each time. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Our 2-year-old who would have nothing to do with a life jacket was able to play in the toddler splash park and wave pool as long as Melani or I was right with her. Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. Burger and fries for $12, other sandwiches $12-$15.not excessive. In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. But the resort's smaller size makes it easier to keep an eye on the kids. Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. Two of the biggest and best (and among the industry's early pioneers) are in the water park capital of the world, Wisconsin Dells: Kalahari at 125,000 square feet and Chula Vista at 110,000 square feet . Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. Its Manageable Size Is Perfect for Younger Kids The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark It's true: Kalahari is the biggest indoor water park in the country and Camelback has almost 50,000 square feet on Kartrite. In particular, it felt narrow. How does the resort compare to Great Wolf Lodge? The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. We did not have a car on the premises so driving was not an option, and walking was not very appealing since we tend to patronize the indoor water parks during the colder months and it was late November when we were at Aquatopia. Kalahari Resort has an entire grotto (both indoor and outdoor) for adults with a swim-up bar. The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. Finally, we did have a rather poor experience one morning ordering from the Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. TripAdvisor review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, TripAdvisor review of Kalahari Resort Poconos, Booking.com review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, MommyNearest Great Wolf Lodge vs Kalahari vs Camelback. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. Kalahari has a better reputation locally. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. In the center right past the check-in area there is a large animatronic display where the nightly bedtime story (The Forest Friends Show) takes place. The lobby is big but not massive like it is at Kalahari! Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. The room was spotless. It was unpleasant to see and to step on. Hello! In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. There is a huge fireplace towards the back of the lobby that is adjacent to a huge window that overlooks the water park. People who got there after her were served well before her. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. The room was clean and a good size and the 4 of us had enough room to spread out, with one person taking the full-size, pullout sofa bed. We did still struggle with the menu & felt that it was very limited in that we found it difficult to find healthier options for our family. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. We had no real negatives about Great Wolf but in all honesty, Kalahari Resort surpasses them on almost all levels, but to no fault of Great Wolf. If I was ever to get a weekend alone with my wife we would go to Kalahari since there are more amenities and it is not so kid-centric. I have read other reviews where people did not enjoy the balcony but we did. A report from KSAT sister station KPRC states that the indoor water park will break ground in 2022 in the city of Webster, just south of Houston. Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. They looped continuously so they are readily accessible at any time. Webster city officials released a statement on Facebook about the new Great Wolf Lodge development in December, stating that the water park and resort will bring more than 500 jobs to the area. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! So the water park is what we usually focus on. Also, the post was never updated to include information about Aquatopia. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Thankfully, we didnt have a 2+ hour line to check-in. There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. We had no real negatives about Great Wolf but in all honesty, Kalahari Resort surpasses them on almost all levels, but to no fault of Great Wolf. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Our complaints fell on deaf ears, as we needed a certain amount of space for.our family, and the hotel informed us that there was nothing they could do. You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. Crystal, CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES, New Private Luxury Facility Coming to DFW, Virgin Atlantic Makes it Official and More, March Transfer Bonuses: Marriott, Avianca, Virgin Red, Royal Caribbean Quietly Reduces Housekeeping to Once per Day, Hyatt Announces 2023 Hotel Category Changes, Easy: Changing AAdvantage Award flight via Twitter DM. Located in America's Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, it was Great Wolf Resorts' first East Coast location. [3] Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Thank you for your support! You enter Kalahari through a massive glass revolving carousel door and there is plenty of room for people to get where they are going whether it is to check-in, get food, get to the water park or any other number of destinations. Sincerely, Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. We say this because Aquatopia has the most activities (rock wall, laser tag, escape room, etc) at its resort that will likely appeal to pre-teens and early teens. Keep reading our Poconos water park guide & comparison to find out! We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. For the volume of people passing through it ( to check-in, check out, shop at the shops and access the activities) it feels a little small and congested. We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. This was one of the few exceptions! Just bundle up and head for the hillsdon't forget your gloves and boots! This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July.Let me start by saying that we have visited the Great Wolf Lodge location in Fitchburg, MA on 2 separate occasions and had enjoyable visits each time. Im guessing the youngest of your children voted for GWL? Kalahari even has a five bedroom suite that can have a maximum of 22 guests. It is also something that Kalahari does well . Family Fun at its best. Whereas, the roofline @ Great Wolf Lodge is blocky. Rooms are bigger and have fun themes. There were not lights on both sides of the queen beds which made night-time reading hard for the person on the side with no light. Great wolf is closer to shopping. "The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the City's history," Webster city officials said. The food was not good at all. Finding fun places to take your kids in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. We review each of the Poconos water parks on several criteria including: If you want to cut right to the chase you can jump to the conclusion by clicking here: Conclusion, Great Wolf Lodge does a good job of branding and theming (theme ing) the lodge. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Has a fun magic quest as an additional . The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. Aquatopia made an effort to do some theme-ing with the Kartrite Quest /Adventures but this really only covers the water park and the activities for kids to the left of the lobby. Throughout the day those areas were also closed several times for about 15 min at a time for cleaning since the kids were pooping and vomiting in the water. (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) Great Wolf Lodge has more traditional tube, body slides, and a bowl slide. We have patronized several of these places, if not all and the kids highly recommend them! When you check in the lodge they should offer you and / or the kids wolf ears at no extra charge since, after all it is the Great WOLF Lodge!. The photos were nature themed and glossy. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was.